The daily taking of a simple 1000mg fish oil capsule could save the lives of 10,000 heart failure sufferers every year, research has shown. The study found that people with heart failure, where the organ fails to beat with sufficient force, were less likely to die if they took fish oils.
Around 700,000 people in Britain suffer from the condition that has debilitating symptoms, including breathlessness and fatigue, that can be so severe patients may remain virtually housebound, and around one third die within a year of being diagnosed.
Prof Martin Cowie, of Imperial College London and the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, reviewed the study of almost 7,000 people. After two years there was a nine percent reduction in deaths amongst those taking the capsules, as well as a significant reduction in hospital admissions. This has also lead to the speculation that using the capsules as a preventative measure could have a significant reduction in cases occurring.
Prof Cowie said, “if two thirds of heart failure patients took the capsules daily, it would mean around 10,000 lives a year would be saved.”
The review, published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine, said cost-effectiveness studies were under way and are likely to show that prescribing fish oil to patients would pass evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
It is thought the fish oils help regulate heart rate and have an anti-inflammatory action which may help to relax blood vessels to ease the workload on the heart.
Dr Jeremy Pearson, deputy medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Researchers have been trying to find something that fish oils really do so this is interesting. If people feel they can tolerate it, which most people do if they take capsules and not liquid, I don’t think there is any suggestion that they might be doing themselves any harm.”
Sources:
Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7976563/Daily-fish-oils-could-save-lives-of-10000-heart-patients.html
The Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1308181/Fish-oil-save-10-000-lives-year-preventing-heart-failure-deaths.html
Hello,
Just a quick post to say a big thank you to you all for your custom, friendship and support!
I’ve been meaning to put this up for a little while now, but just keep running out of time!
Thanks to you guys we’ve been able this year to donate some money to Surfers Against Sewage through our 1% for the Planet membership. We also took the opportunity to match the donation with the equivalent in product for them to either distribute or use as prizes etc. for more fund raising.
Together we can help make the UK shoreline and surrounding waters clean and usable. 
So, thanks again.
Everyone @ Bio Nutrition
A new study funded by the World Cancer Research Fund has concluded that high levels of B vitamins in the blood could slash the risk of lung cancer. People with above average levels of vitamin B6 and the related nutrient methionine are half as likely to develop the disease. The study was carried out by a team of researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Lead researcher, Dr Paul Brennan, pointed out: “More research is needed to confirm that B vitamins actually reduce the risk of lung cancer. However, these results are significant because the reduction in risk was consistent among current smokers, former smokers and people who had never smoked”, whilst Dr Panagiota Mitrou, Science Programme Manager at the World Cancer Research Fund, described the results as exciting. He added: “But while this is an important study, it is vital that we get the message across to smokers that increasing B vitamins is not – and never will be – a substitute for stopping smoking. However, we should also recognise that a significant number of lung cancer cases occur among people who have never smoked or who have stopped smoking.”
Here at Bio Nutrition we’ve always recommended everyone takes a good multi vitamin and mineral, which include B vitamins, but if you need an extra boost a separate B Complex can always be added safely!
Sources:
Health Food Business: August 2010, Volume 23, Issue 10, Page 8.
It’s really hard to believe, but it has now been two years since Bio Nutrition made its debut on the world wide web. Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that I was writing a blog post to tell you all about the new site.
We’ve seen quite a few changes over the last two years, as well. Since launch day – which was actually 1 July 2008, so I’m a little late with this blog post – our main site has undergone quite a few changes, in response to feedback from customers. We’ve seen a number of changes in design, as well as changes in functionality – all of which have been done in our ongoing effort to make the site as easy to use, and simple to navigate, as possible.
We’ve also added more content to the site as we’ve gone along, to the point where now for each product there’s detailed information about what the ingredients can be used for, as well as full formulations. Buying from the site has been made as quick and simple as possible, but without sacrificing security.
Social media has also grown significantly in the last two years, and we’ve tried to keep on top of that too. Bio Nutrition has a Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/bionutrition), where we publish quick little snippets that we hope you’ll find interesting, as well as a Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/bionutrition) and a Facebook Group (www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74207770224). Join any of these (or all of them) and you’ll also get access to exclusive discounts and special offers.
And we’re also contributing back to the world around us with our membership of the 1% For The Planet organisation. This is an initiative where member companies commit to giving 1% of their gross turnover per year to environmental causes. So by buying our products, you directly contribute to improving the world around us. This year, we’ve given our contribution to Surfers Against Sewage – being based on the sunny South Coast, clean beaches and seawater are something that we feel strongly about.
So, in all, it has been a busy two years. Roll on the next two!
General Health
New evidence shows that people with higher levels of vitamin D experience a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, have higher activity in the body’s immune system against infectious diseases like flu and also have better balanced moods and energy levels. Vitamin D also helps build healthy bones, hearts, nerves, skin and teeth, and it supports the health of the thyroid gland, maintaining healthy weight and a balanced metabolism.
Whilst moderate sunlight exposure is the best source of vitamin D, many people incorrectly think that a small amount of sunshine exposure daily is sufficient to meet their vitamin D needs. However, after your skin is exposed to sunlight, it takes about 48 hours to convert it into vitamin D. During that time, the sunlight-initiated precursors to vitamin D can be washed off with soap and water. So if you scrub your skin with soap in the shower, your body will not convert most of your skin’s sun exposure to vitamin D.
This leaves us in a quandary. Whilst vitamin D can be found in many foods, like oily fish, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, mushrooms and many other sources, it is in fairly low amounts and not that easily absorbed. This is where a good vitamin D supplement comes in!
Many nutritional experts agree that the current RDA of 5µg (200iu) is insufficient and should be more like 25µg. However, we do think this may be a little excessive, but regularly recommend 10µg on a daily basis for better health!
Pregnancy
A team at University College London Institute of Child Health say that there is a very “strong case” for a daily dose of vitamin D in pregnancy to go alongside the 400µg of Folic Acid currently recommended.
The Department of Health advises pregnant women to ensure they receive a certain level of vitamin D – 10µg per day. The researchers say this in effect endorses the use of supplements, because diet and the sun provide too little. Women should be informed about the importance of having adequate vitamin D levels during pregnancy and whilst breast feeding.
It is worth noting here that pregnant women on low incomes are entitled to a range of nutrients – including vitamin D – as part of the Healthy Start Scheme.
Dr Elina Hypponen, co-author of the paper, said “The incidence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women in Britain is unacceptably high, especially during winter and spring”. The paper also said that the UK was the only one of 31 countries examined which did not recommend that women of reproductive age took a vitamin D supplement, and that it also failed to endorse a daily supplement for expectant mothers. “We believe that the routine provision of a daily supplement throughout pregnancy would significantly decrease the number of mothers who are clearly vitamin D deficient, reducing related serious risks to their babies.”
If pregnant, thinking of becoming so, or breast feeding we would recommend good all-round nutrition in the guise of our Pregnancy Formula!
“Vitamin D Supplementation in the UK might be beneficial for the whole population.”, Mr Patrick O’Brien, RCOG.
Sources:
Care2.com: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vitamin-d-lined-to-diabetes-cancer-depression-and-more.html
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/8645104.stm
